UPDATE: ‘NCIS’ Creator “Gratified” To Reach Settlement With CBS

UPDATE, 10:17 AM: Having reached a confidential settlement today in their multimillion-dollar lawsuit over profits from NCIS: LA,CBS and NCIS creator Don Bellisario released a joint statement Friday:

“We’re pleased to settle this lawsuit on amicable terms and put this dispute to rest,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Although we differed in opinion on this matter, our admiration, appreciation and respect for Mr. Bellisario has never wavered throughout. We consider him one of the best creative talents of his time and a valued member of the CBS family, whose shows, both past and present, have played an important role in CBS’s success.” Don Bellisario added, “I am also pleased that we were able to amicably resolve the lawsuit short of a trial. I am gratified that CBS has recognized my contributions in creating JAG and NCIS.”

PREVIOUSLY, 10:08 AM:CBS Studios and Don Bellisario have come to a settlement in the producer’s multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the network for profits from NCIS: Los Angeles, Deadline has confirmed. The parties were scheduled to go to trial January 25. No details of the deal are known. Despite having made more than $116 million from his CBS shows over the years, the JAG and NCIS creator sued CBS in April 2011 over breach of contract and the covenant of good faith for profits from NCIS: LA. The legal battle revolved around conflicting definitions of what constitutes a “spinoff,” what kind of spinoff NCIS: LA is and which one of the three agreements the producer had with the studio is the basis for the dispute. Bellisario was let go from NCIS in 2007 after star Mark Harmon threatened to quit. In August of last year, lawyers for Bellisario revealed the 77-year-old producer had been diagnosed with hydrocephalus earlier in the summer. The condition can cause disorientation and memory loss. Suffering from those symptoms, the former producer had an operation August 17. The two sides met in front of LA Superior Court judge Gregory Alarcon in mid-December to hammer out a new trial date for the case. The trial was originally supposed to start January 14.

10 Comments

Why don’t they announce how much they gave him? Why does it have to be confidential? They already said he earned 116 million. My guess is they wrote him a check for 2 or 3 million and that’s enough.

Anonymous • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

Why is it our business how much he was given???

Neville Chamberlin • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

This lawsuit was like the Iran – Iraq war — the combatants were both despicable and you just wanted it to go on and on and let them continue to attack each other. Too bad they settled.

Shageen • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

despicable? Really? He’s created tons of hit TV shows over the years and he’s “despicable” for wanting to get what’s owed him from the studio?

Rena Moretti • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

When you hate success, you’ll hate CBS, NCIS and Don Bellisario.

It was sad to see CBS and Bellisario at odds as they have created the most successful TV show of our time.

Reynolds • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

Don Bellisario’s interest in NCIS-LA only laid in the name. The contents have nothing to do with him. He was forced out of production on the NCIS set because it was in chaos. The man wouldn’t get partial scripts to the actors until hours sometimes minutes before shooting. He is talented but, unfocused. I’m only surprised it took 5 years before Mark Harmon stood his ground. When you spend 18 – 20 hours on set and only 2 or 3 are productive, then yeah, someone’s going to get their dander up. If Bellisario was deserving of the money then CBS owed because they used the name then so be it but, not because they owe him for anything he did previously. He was handsomely paid for that and must still be being paid for the original NCIS as he still has 2 credits on the current show. Which is probably why the new spin off for next season isn’t name anything with NCIS in it.

Rena Moretti • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

That’s complete nonsense. Don Bellisario has produced (and I mean really produced, not just put his name on them) more hours of television than just about anyone else in town.

To claim that NCIS was not produced well is absurd.

To claim that NCIS was only shooting 2 hours out of ten each day is also absurd (the show would never have shot 22 episodes each year if that were true).

You must be quite jealous of someone with real talent to write this.

Rena Moretti • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

Also, NCIS LA is a carbon copy of NCIS and only owes its existence from NCIS being a hit.

But yeah, he had nothing to do with its success…

samsara • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

@Reynolds, thanks for the background on the conflict. Your details were illuminating and set the record straight without any apparent prejudice. It makes sense with his disclosure he was suffering from mental confusion.

Rena Moretti • on Jan 18, 2013 10:17 am

Nice try, but this wasn’t “background” nor was it unprejudiced.

Reynolds’ tale is just complete hogwash.

Don Bellisario is perhaps THE most successful writer producer Hollywood ever produced. Most of the shows he created were hits (look it up, you’ll be amazed).

That he had a health issue five years after he stopped working on the show doesn’t imply he had “mental confusion”.